Tet looming, markets booming
Tet looming, markets booming
With just a few days left before Tet (Lunar New Year holiday), farmers and traders are hurrying to transport fruits and flowers to the HCM City market.
The Binh Dien, Thu Duc and Hoc Mon wholesale markets said the volume had increased by 50-100 per cent compared to normal days.
Most fruit is being transported from the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta provinces, with the volume of fruit imported from China making up only a small amount.
Despite an abundant supply, the prices of many kinds of fruits such as fresh coconut, pomelo and custard apple have increased by 5-10 per cent due to higher labour costs, according to traders.
Pomelo, tangerine and custard apple are priced between VND50,000 and VND60,000 a kilo, a year-on-year increase of VND20,000.
Mango prices have not increased much this year, to about VND50,000-60,000 a kilo.
The price of long watermelon remains VND6,000-8,000 a kilo, while round watermelons are selling for VND12,000-15,000 a kilo.
Many new kinds of flowers and decorative trees for Tet were introduced to city customers this year, with the van loc tree (a kind of water plant with colourful leaves) especially popular. These were supplied by Sa Dec farmers in Dong Thap Province.
The popular yellow apricot, peach, and kumquat trees are available at flower markets in the city. However, due to unfavourable weather, apricot flower trees are being sold mostly in small-d pots.
Flower growers and traders said that prices remained the same as last year, except for some, which slightly increased by 5-10 per cent.
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